Forgive Me
by Nicallette Swigart
Summary: Post-Doomsday, Rose actually brought herself back to the Doctor just moments before the Void closed. Pete never was able to return Rose with him to the Parallel Universe. The Doctor and Rose believed everything to be alright. However, seconds before the Void closed itself, a single Dalek managed to seriously injure Rose. Now she lay dying on the TARDIS floor, with the Doctor.
1. Chapter 1

"I'm so sorry!"

Screams echoed loudly within the walls of his TARDIS, the 10th regeneration of the Doctor now brought to his knees before a fallen comrade's body, it was Rose.

Hurried hands frantically observed every inch of Rose's body for injuries, finding the source of her bleeding at the center of her stomach. Scorched and darkened flesh at the middle of Rose's body, the crimson blood leaking from the site now drenched her Doctor's hands and sleeves. The Doctor's chocolate brown eyes, never before had they grown so wide. Swallowing thickly at the dryness building inside his throat, the Doctor's hands gently rested themselves on Rose's shoulders.

_She was dying._

His companion, the young woman he'd traveled with for nearly a year, was going to **die**.

The lovely human just smiled. Her eyes of earth, melting with tears, smiled at her Doctor. Of course she knew her fate. She knew within minutes her life would end and his, the Doctor's, would continue on. Rose would be forgotten. A moment in history to decay along with the rest.

Despite being fully aware of her approaching death, the Doctor still continued to try and save her. Rose's eyes fell on the device held at her stomach, the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver beeped rapidly, shining blue light across the entire stretch of skin that was damaged. Though hopeful that he'd save her, Rose didn't scream or voice out any denial of her death. She'd accept it, almost happily.

"Doctor…" Rose whispered, her lips barely parting enough for the word to be clear.

He wouldn't respond. The Doctor's focus remained on the injury, still trying to use any manner and method of repairing her stomach. Alas, his Sonic Screwdriver finally surrendered, though the Doctor's hands trembled.

Rose tried once more, "Doctor?"

His head rose, their eyes meeting at last. Her's bright and crying, his own shaking within their ocean of tears. Silently she shared her acceptance of death, assuring him that she'd be alright.

"No!" The Doctor refused, "Rose! You can't die! No! Not _you_!"

"But Doctor, it's okay."

Suddenly Rose found herself within touching distance of her beloved Doctor's face, his tangled hair fallen down into his eyes, though all she needed to see was his tears cascading to know how he felt. Discovering herself mute at the moment, Rose weakly brought both of her hands to the Doctor's cheeks. His body grew tense at the touch, tilting his head upright, bangs falling back. Together on the TARDIS floor, the Doctor and Rose shared a final moment of expression between them.

"I'm dying, Doctor."

He sniffled, "I know. I'm so sorry, Rose. I should have never allowed you to come back through the universe! You could have lived your life together with your family, even your dad! I ruined everything for you! Rose, I'm so-"

"Oh shut up, Doctor."

He didn't fight against her. Not when Rose, _his Rose_, forced him down. Even in dying, his brave companion found the strength to subdue an ancient Time Lord. Truly she wasn't a regular, ordinary human by any means of understanding.

This was the moment Rose had wished for, though she could have settled without the bleeding and impending death. However, in this moment of time, nothing else mattered to her. Nothing but the warmth from him, her Doctor's lips. Finally Rose, just a girl from England with no job or A-Levels, snagged herself a kiss from the Doctor.

Neither shared resistance with the kiss either. In fact, Rose smiled happily when she felt the Doctor's hands tighten on her shoulders. Three sets of hearts echoed each other in tune, the Doctor's eyes sealed shut while Rose sneaked a peek. A final glance at his handsome face, tears still leaking below his lash lines.

Warmth from the Doctor's lips traveled deeply through Rose's chilling skin, bringing her cheeks aflame. Having to end the kiss shattered the Doctor's hearts in unison. Seeing Rose Tyler through moist eyes was enough to bring him to cry out, whimpering at her to survive.

"For me?" He pleaded sadly, shaking her gently at the shoulders. "Survive for me, Rose!"

"I wish that was possible, Doctor…"

"It is!" He defended, "It is possible!"

Rose blinked through tears, right brow raising curiously. "Is that so?"

Her Doctor nodded, "But it could cause you to change."

She said nothing in return, bringing the Doctor to question her condition. Silently he rested a hand on her chest, his fears growing thicker.

"Your heart is slowing down." In five minutes she'd be dead, lost to the world and himself. "I need you to make a decision, Rose. It's important."

"I want to live with you."

"Rose, seriously…"

"I want to live with you, Doctor!" She repeated, "With you. Forever. My doctor."

That was her final word, but thankfully not the final words of her life. The Doctor's hands once more reached for his Sonic Screwdriver, the buzzing sounds bringing Rose to giggle.

"Are you going to fix me up, Doc?" She teased, helplessly unable to resist.

"Not exactly," he confessed, aiming the device at his second heart. "But you're going to live, Rose."

"Doctor, what are you-!?"

A bright and blue light engulfed the TARDIS entirely, slowly creeping along Rose's skin as well. She struggled to move, finding herself unable. Frighten Rose called out for her Doctor, but he was gone.

"Doctor! Doctor? What's happening!"

Rose fell into loud sobbing, eyes closed as the light continued to travel up her skin, now reaching her stomach where a burning came. Sobs turned to screams of agony, all dispelled through Rose's throat, her face soaked to the flesh by crying.

She was dying. She was dying, alone! Her Doctor was gone. He didn't even say _'goodbye'_ to her.

Feeling forgotten and hopeless for herself, Rose settled into the pain best she could.

_Rose, stay calm, you're going to live._

"Doctor?"

_I won't let you die. I can't._

* * *

**Author's Note: **

I have never written a **Doctor Who f**an fiction before in my life, so please pardon my horrible portrayal of the characters.

Please, I beg of you, leave a Review/Feedback of some kind. Just so I know people are reading and enjoying my fan fiction. It also will determine how quickly, or not, I upload new chapters.

Thank you,

_Nicallette_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **

I can't thank you lovely people enough for all the reviews! I promise to continue trying my best, and not disappoint my readers! Thank you, thank you so much!

Anyway, back to the story? Oh yes, here we go!

* * *

**Previously,**

"_Doctor?" _

_I won't let you die. I can't._

* * *

All Rose could now was wait. Remain on the TARDIS floor, alone, with blood soaking inside her clothing, surely staining her flesh red by now. That's all she had. Just waiting.

"Doctor?"

She called for him, but the ancient Time Lord didn't respond. He truly wasn't there anymore, at least, in physical form. With her eyes glossed and reddened by sobbing, Rose couldn't trust her sight anyway. So even if the Doctor was somewhere nearby where she should have seen him, Rose might as well have been blind by this point.

For her everything inside the TARDIS was becoming black, her vision beginning to seriously fail from the sustained damage to her body. That's when Rose remembered the unlucky encounter from before. If only she had been more careful. If she had seen the Dalek, then perhaps, she wouldn't be in such a condition at the moment. However, as the Doctor had told her immediately following the blast to her core…

_"It wasn't your fault! Rose, I'm sorry!" _

A smile graced Rose's lips as she thought back to the Doctor's voice. So frightened and yet, despite the present fear, he spoke so lovely. His tongue which would swirl with the gift of gab, which he oh so surely had. Resting there on the floor allowed Rose an opportunity to remember the months spent with her beloved Doctor.

To recall his humorous laughs and childishly complaining. She dearly loved him, even when he'd begin speaking on subjects that jumped highly above her head. Rose would always listen. Even if unable to understand. She'd listen, just to remain hearing his voice speak so happily on topics that clearly tickled his two hearts so greatly.

The Doctor's memories kept Rose comforted in his absence. But that's not to say she wouldn't be much happier with him beside her now. If these moments were to be her final journey, Rose certainly would have preferred the Doctor with her, holding her hand and sharing a final memory together. To her, that could be as close to a perfect death as she could imagine.

"How could he just leave me?" Rose finally questioned out loud, speaking indirectly to the TARDIS. "If he's so brilliant, then why hasn't he saved me yet?" She asked without anger in her voice, the presence of emotions of that sort weren't available. "I wanted to be with him forever and look at me now…" Rose followed her own words, glancing down to her lower half, seeing the giant hole within her stomach for the first time, Rose began to cry once again.

Frightened with her impending death to come, Rose merely laid back on the TARDIS with a heavy head. Her eyes of hazel blinking rapidly to dispel tears from her lashes. Lifting from the floor wasn't an option for her, not since a few minutes ago when her legs decided to void all circulation. The situation was continuing to grow more dangerous with each second that passed. When the numbness began to travel up, towards Rose's arms, she knew it wouldn't be long now.

"Blood is coiling in my heart and vital organs now," she whispered weakly against the air. "Soon my body will start shutting down entirely." A single tear ran slowly down her cheek, dropping to the floor where it mingled within her blood.

"I never even got the chance to properly say goodbye to the only man I've truly loved."

If only she knew the truth. She'd know her Doctor wasn't away from her at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Previously, **

"_I never even got the chance to properly say goodbye to the only man I've truly loved."_

_If only she knew the truth. She'd know her Doctor wasn't away from her at all._

* * *

Deeply buried within the vortex of his treasured Time Machine, the Doctor hurried through a series of colored wires, selecting ones that pulsed with energy. For his intentions only those wires containing maximum levels of active atoms were useful.

Overseeing the man with curiosity was the TARDIS, more specifically, her subconscious.

As the Doctor continued to fiddle with her wiring, turning and twisting the cords uncomfortably; TARDIS began questioning, seeking answers to her companion's madness.

"I'm going to save Rose!"

Such a short and vague reply hardly sufficed for the TARDIS. The Doctor always did have an ugly habit of concealing the truth. Even secrets were kept from her, his trusted and beautiful Time Machine.

He growled through gritted teeth, chastising the TARDIS as she returned to pestering him with unnecessary questions. "_Stop it_!"

The TARDIS began lowering her systems, causing several difficulties for the man searching through her lower compartments.

"TARDIS!" The Doctor snapped, his hands tightening on a collection of wires. "Stop being so troublesome!"

Beeping loudly the machine protested once more. She locked down all systems, the lower levels of the TARDIS sinking into darkness entirely. The Doctor stood motionless, surrounded, encased, completely engulfed with no present source of light.

He called out to the TARDIS, "Please!" This begging turned quickly to screams, his infuriation with the machine peeking up through his voice. "I need your partnership, TARDIS!"

Finally the Doctor submitted to her inquiries, dropping both hands from the panels and slumping forward weakly against his machine's cold walls.

"Rose, she's _dying_ TARDIS."

TARDIS beeped loudly, frantically resuming all prior functions and bringing lights back so the Doctor was able to see clearly. Her questions stopped there. The Doctor smiled thankfully and gently pressed a kiss to the wall, sighing out his held breath against the stained, blue, metal.

"She needs to survive this, TARDIS,' whispered the Doctor stubbornly. "She has to."

Losing yet another life at his own hands, Rose's being the most precious to him now, would bring about terrible consequences for the Doctor. So he simply decided she wouldn't die. Not now, not today.

The TARDIS beeped quickly, alerting it's Doctor to Rose's condition.

The Doctor nodded, "There's not much time. I have to work carefully."

Meanwhile, Rose continued to lay motionless beside the TARDIS control panel. Droplets of crimson liquid now escaping through the floor, leaking down within the TARDIS's lower compartments. Frightened eyes of Earth no longer raced rapidly nor searched for the Doctor, instead they steadied at the pulsing blue lights sealed inside a large tube. The power source of the TARDIS, at least that's what Rose had been lead to believe during her travels. Her Doctor never did properly explain how his Time Machine worked.

"I'm going to die…" Tears mingled together, cascading down paling skin. "This is truly the end of my time."

Slowly her eyelids began to fall, her lips sealing shut and breathing growing mute.

_Rose Tyler, was dying..._


	4. Chapter 4

**Previously, **

_Rose Tyler was dying…_

* * *

Emerging from below his TARDIS, while also ungracefully balancing a thickly bound collection of colorful wires, the Doctor dropped heavily to his knees. Those horrified eyes beginning to dampen after finding Rose already seemingly deceased on the TARDIS floor.

"Rose?"

She couldn't reply.

Carefully the Doctor placed a single hand above her heart's cavity, thankfully discovering that she still held a pulse. Rose wasn't dead just yet. Allowing himself a slight laugh of relief, the Doctor turned his attention back towards the wires. Quickly he worked through them, separating the tangles and spared a last glance to Rose. His Rose.

"I have to do this, Rose." _Or else she would surely die._ "You'll never be the same again," he confessed, remorsefully averting his eyes to the wires once more. "But hopefully, you'll be able to forgive me for this."

The Doctor gently brought his hands to the delicate flesh of Rose's arms. His skin jumped at the physical contact. Inhaling sharply he continued to the collar of Rose's shirt, tenderly beginning to remove the torn and soaked fabric from her body. Of course he didn't take a moment to admire her nearly bare upper form, that would have only wasted time. Such valuable time.

Once the shirt was removed entirely, leaving Rose covered only by her black bra and pants, the Doctor then began tearing the top covers of his wires. Pinching the metallic cords between long fingers, the Doctor's shoulders sank heavily as he turned back to Rose, finding her face growing paler by the second.

That's when he froze. Unable to make another movement forward. The reality of his plan finally sinking in. If he were to continue, to save Rose…she'd suffer greatly at the consequences.

_Sure she'd live, but at what cost?_

The TARDIS roared loudly within it's walls, encouraging the Doctor. At least trying with all her capability.

He turned to her, "I know you're right ol' girl."

Without further hesitation, the Doctor resumed his plan. This required plunging coarse wires deeply inside Rose's skin, burying them to the very core of her veins. Three connected from her right arm, an identically matching set in the left arm as well. Only four more wires remained unattached. Though the Doctor's hands tightened, squeezing the cords firmly, he knew these last ones would be the most uncomfortable for Rose.

Despite her weakened state she had still managed to whimper as the wires dug painfully beneath her flesh. Knowing his was the result of her discomfort brought the Doctor to choke lightly while swallowing. Causing any pain for Rose went against his moral code.

However, he also knew that if didn't receive this treatment, well, he'd be alone.

The Doctor brought another cord to Rose's throat, positioning her neck to the right, able to feel a faint pulse beneath his finger tips. "Please forgive me, Rose…"

"Ahhh!" She screamed, entire body jolting violently as the Doctor forced the metal tube further down into her skin. The bleeding opening drenched the fingers of her Doctor, causing him to focus intently as so not to cause any unnecessary damage.

"Please don't fight it, Rose!" Was all he could plead, repeating the process to the other side of her neck. Again apologizing profusely. "I'm sorry! Rose, I'm so dearly sorry!"

By the time he'd finished connecting the last two wires to either sides of her temples, Rose was already silent, her body having gone into shock. He didn't have long now. Nearly falling and tripping as he jumped to his feet, the Doctor hurried over to the TARDIS control panel.

"Alright girl, please help me?"

His machine beeped happily, promising to assistant him. The Doctor smiled.

Bringing his hand to the controls, having connected the ends of the wires to the TARDIS once again, the Doctor's eyes fell shut as he regretfully lowered two levers in unison. All he could do now was wait. Observe the procedure as his beloved companion was now at the mercy of his TARDIS.

Refusing to allow himself tears the Doctor bent down beside Rose, but had to maintain a safe distance from her body. Unable to even hold her hand, he waited uncomfortably.


End file.
